Emergency Procedures

Active shooter is a person who is using a firearm or other weapon with the intent
to injure or kill others. Law enforcement personnel will deploy to the location of
the active shooter with the primary goal of stopping the shooter.

An active shooter incident can occur under a variety of circumstances, so no one set
of guidelines is able to cover specific actions to take in every situation. Even so,
familiarity with the following information can help with planning your own survival
strategy in a variety of incidents. When an active shooter situation arises remember
the acronym A.D.D. to assist in planning your response strategy:

If it is safe to do so, employees, faculty, and students should exit the building
immediately to AVOID the shooter.

How exit a building safely:

Have a route planned before attempting to leave.

Do not attempt to carry anything with you while fleeing.

Move quickly and keep your hands and palms visible and upraised, as you exit the building.

Do not attempt to treat or remove injured people, but note their locations so that
you may provide the information to emergency responders.

Proceed to a safe location.

Remain at the designated assembly area until you are released.

ALWAYS comply with commands from law enforcement officers.

DENY access to your location if unable to AVOID the confrontation.

If a shooter is inside your building proceed to a room that can be locked. On your
way to the room tell as many people as possible to do the same.

Lock all doors and windows and turn off the lights in the building or classroom.

Place cell phone on vibrate if possible. Phones that omit sound will attract attention
to your location.

Stack desks, chairs, or heavy objects against doors or windows to DENY access. Stay
away from windows and out of sight of the shooter if possible.

Have one person call 911 and be prepared to provide the following:

Your location

Your name

The number of people in the room with you.

Any and all information about the shooters location and actions.

DEFEND yourself if an active shooter enters your room.

DEFEND yourself as a LAST resort. If you are forced to protect yourself or the lives
of others the following will assist in planning your survival strategy:

Swarm the shooter using a pack mentality.

Use improvised weapons e.g. chairs, fire extinguishers, or other available objects.

Grab any weapons the shooter has and point it away from people to protect them.

What to expect from responding officers:

Police officers are responding to an active shooter may be wearing regular uniforms,
plainclothes, or special tactical gear. They will be clearly defined as law enforcement
officers. The following may happen during an active shooter event.

Responding officers will point firearms at you while seeking the threat. This is a
normal part of their training and response. Avoid any sudden furtive movements and
obey all officer commands. Keep your hands visible to officers at all times.

Responding officers are trained to proceed immediately to the area where shooting
is taking place to neutralize the threat. If you are injured, they will not stop to
assist you.

Another group of officers and/or tactical medics will follow to provide medical assistance
and help with evacuation.

Remain calm and immediately comply with all commands from law enforcement officers.

Follow these instructions in the event you receive a telephone bomb threat:

Listen to the caller carefully and write down what you are told. Always remember to
ask the caller when and where the device is supposed to activate. Try to fill out
as much of the information on paper, but don't be surprised if the caller simply hangs
up before you can react.

Do not panic. The vast majority of phone in bomb threats are pranks.

Call 911 or Public Safety immediately at (479)968-0222 and report what the caller
said. Stay on the telephone with the police dispatcher or an officer over the phone
depending on the circumstance.

Do not activate a fire alarm unless told to do so by an officer or the dispatcher.
Public safety follows procedures regarding bomb threat response and evacuations. Building
evacuations will be conducted only if ordered by the person in charge of the incident.

If you are told to evacuate, close your room door but do not lock it. Take all your
personal belongings, lunches, purses, backpacks (as they could be mistaken for concealed
explosives) and exit building. Move well away from the building (500 feet is recommended)
for you safety. Stay away from windows.

A Chemical or Hazardous material is defined as any substance or material could adversely
affect the safety of the public, handlers or carriers during transportation. It may
be explosive, gaseous, flammable, toxic, radioactive, corrosive, combustive or leachable.

Keep people away from the spill.

If you know what the substance is, consult the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for
hazards and clean-up instructions. If the release is small enough and can be cleaned
up easily and isolated safely, handle it as a part of your normal job duties.

If the MSDS is not available or the substance is unknown and the severity of the hazard
cannot be determined, please contact:

Your immediate supervisor (if unable to reach supervisor)

Department of Public Safety at (479)968-0222

If you determine an imminent hazard (i.e. serious fire or major injury) exists contact
the Department of Public Safety at (479)968-0222 and evacuate the area. Next, notify
your supervisor.

Do not call 911 unless an immediate medical emergency exists.

Note: Whenever handling chemicals or hazardous waste, employees have the right and
are required to have the appropriate MSDS available for immediate consultation. Also,
it is good practice to consult the MSDS prior to handling any chemical or hazardous
waste.

If you see fire or smoke in your immediate area Use the RACE acronym as a guide:

R= Remove anyone in immediate danger. Advise students, staff and visitors to evacuate
the building. Evacuate the building via the closest exit doors located away from the
fire. Do not use elevators. Assist handicapped individuals to the nearest stairwell
landing and advise police and/or firemen of their location. Move well away from the
building (300 feet is recommended).

A= Activate the fire alarm. Pull the nearest fire alarm station. Call the Police at
911 or campus police at (479)968-0222 to report the location of the fire/smoke and
any other pertinent information. If the call cannot be made safely from the building,
call as soon as you find a safe place.

C= Confine and contain. Close all doors as you leave the building. Do not lock the
doors.

E= Extinguish. Only if you know the location of a nearby extinguisher and can do so
without endangering your safety.

If you hear a fire alarm:

You must evacuate the building. Ensure that all present in your area also evacuate.

Shut off your room lights and close the door. Do not lock the door.

Take your backpack, briefcase, purse and coat with you. Do not retrieve these items,
if doing so would delay your evacuation.

Evacuate the building via nearest fire exit and remain well away from the building
(at least 500 feet), until informed by an officer that you may re-enter the building.

The National Weather Service issues a tornado watch when conditions are favorable
for the information of a tornado. A watch does not mean that a tornado has been sighted.
However, you should be aware of changing weather conditions.

Tornado Warning:

A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been spotted and people in its path
are in danger. ATU will implement its emergency response plan and alerts will be sent
out via ATU campus emergency and outreach notification system with instructions to
staff and students.

When a tornado warning is issued:

The emergency warning sirens will sound.

Stay away from outside walls, windows, mirrors, and glass.

Everyone should move from offices and classrooms to designated shelter in place locations.
If time permits, attempt to move to the lowest possible level of the building.

Do not use elevators.

Sit on the floor with your back to the interior wall and cover the back of your head
with arms.

Remain in the building unless told to evacuate by emergency personnel.

An emergency is any immediate threat to life and/or property that requires immediate
response from police, fire or Emergency Medical Services. Some examples of emergencies
are crimes in progress, any kind of fire or a serious injury or illness. If you are
not sure if an incident falls into an emergency classification, feel free to call
911 when an immediate response is needed. The Department of Public Safety can be reached
at (479)968-0222.

How should I report an emergency?

Call 911

Stay on the line with the dispatcher.

Provide the address, location and a description of the emergency.

Provide the phone number at your location.

Provide a thorough description of the incident to assureappropriate resources are
dispatched.

Non-Emergency Telephone Numbers

The following telephone numbers are provided for non-emergency situations. Using these
numbers will provide a prompt response from the responsible agency, while keeping
911 lines free for emergencies. All 911 calls are voice and TTY.

In the event of early morning inclement weather conditions, Arkansas Tech University's
Presidents Office will determine whether this inclement weather policy will be placed
into effect and will announce its implementation before 6:30 a.m. if at all possible.
On days covered by the inclement weather policy, all employees should arrive at work
by 10:00 a.m. to receive credit for a full days work. Employees arriving after 10:00
a.m. must use annual leave for the amount of time involved in the tardiness, and employees
not coming to work at all must use a full days annual leave.